In A Family Affair, Zara (Joey King) is the young assistant of Hollywood star Chris Cole (Zac Efron), whose professional and personal worlds collide when she learns of a secret romance between Chris and her mother. Zara is horrified due to all the dirty secrets she knows that Chris has, and she’s determined to keep her mother from being hurt by the notorious player. Soon, however, she will come to discover that there might be a deeper connection between them than she could have imagined.

Joey King is best known for The Kissing Booth movies, and A Family Affair leans heavily into her comedic strengths as an actor, while still highlighting how she balances her own feelings about her mother and nightmare boss with the secret being kept from her. The chemistry between Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman is palpable, and their dynamic with King adds layers of depth to all three relationships. A Family Affair is directed by Richard Lagravenese and based on a screenplay written by Carrie Solomon.

Screen Rant interviewed A Family Affair director Richard Lagravenese about his new Netflix romantic comedy. He shared the surprising inspiration for the story, with ties to Danny DeVito, and explained why Solomon’s script excited him. Lagravenese also praised the cast, crediting the success of the movie to Efron’s ability to find sincerity and humor in his character, King’s ability to tap into so many emotions, and Kidman’s relaxed grace in her role.

Zac Efron “Knew Instinctually How To Make The Character Funny” In A Family Affair

A Family Affair balances both romance and comedy, creating a perfect storm with the blossoming relationship between Efron and Kidman’s characters. Lagravenese explained that he had to find the right tone in order to make the conflict that arises with King’s character because of the mother-daughter and boss-assistant dynamics feel organic.

Richard Lagravenese: It was a very organic feeling, always going to, Well, what’s the truth of it? Where is it funny? Where is it romantic? And where does it have to get genuine without it getting sentimental? So you sort of feel your way through it.

Joey is fantastic as Zara. We really see her full comedy chops on display from timing to her physical comedy performance in this as well as her emotional range in this film. What impressed you the most about working with her as a performer?

Richard Lagravenese: Her facility, her ability to access whatever she needed in the moment. She’s a great actress, and remember she’s been acting for 20 years, so she’s a real pro. What she has ahead of her. I just cannot wait to see all that she does.

I think Zac can do it all, from comedies to dramas. There are echoes of his real life in the character of Chris. What did Zac bring to the role that wasn’t on the page?

Richard Lagravenese: The tone, the expression of it. He knew instinctually how to make the character funny by making him sincere in everything he believes in everything he’s saying. He never winked at the audience. He never commented on the character. He was genuine and vulnerable and an a–hole at the same time. He just was perfect combination.

Zara’s Story In A Family Affair Is “About Finding Her Place In The World”

Lagravenese revealed that the dynamic between Efron and King was inspired by “the screwball comedies of the thirties and forties”, which lent itself to improvisation from the actors. He shared a couple of examples of scenes that lent themselves especially well to improvisation between the two, praising their ability to “riff off the script.”

Richard Lagravenese: Well, my favorite films are the old, the screwball comedies of the thirties and forties, and a lot of them were improved. Leo McCarey and Howard Hawks, and I wanted to bring that vibe to it. Joey and Zach understood it immediately. So in the car there are improvs in that where Zach is riffing off of the things he’s left at his girlfriend’s house and also off of the Cher song. The two of them had a really great time in their scenes where they just riff off of the script and they were just really, really smart at it.

Carrie Solomon wrote this film when she was 24, the same age as Zara. Can you talk about what resonated with you when reading her screenplay?

Richard Lagravenese: Her intelligence and her humor and this sort of fresh voice. I’m clearly not a millennial, and she understood and showed me something I didn’t understand about the point of view of the character. She was really adamant about the character not having any romantic or boyfriend or male idea. It was important that the character was about finding her place in the world and that was her main thing, and I love that.

The Chemistry Between Zac Efron & Nicole Kidman “Was Apparent From The Very Beginning”

Lagravenese discussed the chemistry between Kidman and Efron, revealing that, “Their chemistry was right there from the start.” He also explained why he loved working with Kidman and how this role feels different from many of her others. Kidman infused herself into the character, making her performance feel more relaxed.

Richard Lagravenese: Well, the chemistry between the two of them was apparent from the very beginning. The first day that they got together on the set was in the living room set, and we rehearsed the couch scene and they just threw their arms around each other and talked about old times. Their chemistry was right there from the start.

Nicole, what I love about, well, first of all, she’s one of the great actresses of our time, and also she has that star quality, that old Hollywood movie star quality. I loved in this movie that there was this sort of relaxed grace about her performance. Using her own voice and her own rhythms and her own sense of humor and her own emotional life. To me, I’ve never really seen her in this kind of relaxed ease of performance.

I love the character of Zara because I was also a PA, so I feel like that’s a love letter to anybody who’s had that job. Tell us a little bit about the character Zara and her relationship with her mother Brooke in this film.

Richard Lagravenese: Zara was inspired by a friend of mine, Pam Abdi, who now runs Warner Brothers. When I first met Pam, she was Danny DeVito’s assistant. She’s from Jersey, and Danny’s from Jersey. Watching the two of them was hilarious because Pam wouldn’t let him get away with anything. They were like family, and they still are. So, that dynamic of being an assistant but being in his face, not letting him get away with stuff, which is why he loves her and why he needs her, that idea is really what inspired Zara.

And the mother-daughter thing, I think, is based on all of us who are parents as well. When a kid is trying to find their place in the world and they come into the kitchen and they say, “What do I do with my life?” And as a parent, you’re going, “How do I answer that? How do I do that?” I thought they really captured this wonderful love, but also the different generations and the different communication and how much a parent can help and how much a parent can’t help.

About A Family Affair

An unexpected romance triggers comic consequences for a young woman, her mother, and her boss, grappling with the complications of love, sex, and identity.

Check out our other interview with A Family Affair stars Zac Efron and Joey King.